A teenager is undergoing treatment at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret after his penis was severed in a botched circumcision.
The 15-year old’s sex organ was chopped off during a circumcision ceremony held at Priro in Sook village, West Pokot County on Monday, December 6.
According to witnesses, the minor was first rushed to a nearby Dispensary but it was closed. He was then taken to Kapenguria, which is 60km away, where they found clinical officers and nurses had gone on strike.
“We had to act fast and save the boy’s life. We took him to Sook Dispensary, but we found it closed. The only option was to hire a motorbike and ferry him to Kapenguria County Hospital. We arrived there at around noon. He was bleeding and we feared we could lose him,” said Ignatius Poriot, a neighbour.
At Kapenguria, they were only given a mask box to store the detached part of the penis. Poriot said they convinced a nurse to refer the boy to MTRH, but they still could not get an ambulance to transport him forcing them to use a matatu.
At the matatu terminus in Makutano town, they were temporarily stranded due to a lack of enough fare. Wellwishers came to their rescue and they embarked on another 110km journey from Makutano to Eldoret.
They arrived at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) at around 4 pm, where the boy was immediately admitted with traumatic penile amputation.
“He was taken to the theatre on Monday night. The specialist will handle the case and reattach the penis. We hope reconstruction will be successful,” said Stanley Ruto, a clinical officer at the hospital.
The officer criticized Kapenguria County Hospital for neglecting the patient, saying health workers should provide essential services in spite of the ongoing strike.
